Electrical vehicle

ABSTRACT

A two-wheeled electrically powered vehicle has a body formed of tubular members and a unitary panel assembly which encloses the mechanisms therewithin. An elevatable footrest carries a groundengaging support which lowers upon raising the footrest.

United States Patent Jack M. Thompson;

Inventors Michael J. Thompson, Ardmore, Okla. Appl. No. 749,695 Filed Aug. 2, 1968 Patented Jan. 12, 1971 Assignee Revolt, Inc.

Ardmore, Okla. a corporation of Delaware ELECTRICAL VEHICLE 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

11.8. 180/34, 280/281, 280/295, 180/101 Int. Cl. 862k 11/02 180/34, 30,

Attorney-Bervcridge & De Grandi [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,832,018 11/1931 Gossard 180/34 2,937,884 5/1960 Lossau 280/281 3,101,805 8/1963 Tritle l80/33X 3,372,768 3/1968 Wresch 180/34 3,384,389 5/1968 Polley 280/295 Primary Examiner-Kenneth I-l. Betts ABSTRACT: Atwo-wheeled electrically powered vehicle has a body formed of tubular members and a unitary panel assembly which encloses the mechanisms therewithin. An

' elevatable footrest carries a ground-engaging support which lowers upon raising the footrest.

PATENTEnJ mmn 3554.31 1

' sum 1 or 2 INVENTORS Fl 6 2 M. THOMPSON EL J. THOMPSON ATTORNEYS PATENTED mu 2 SH SHEET 2 [1F 2 INVENTOR'S JACK M. THOMPSON BY MICHAEL J. THOMP$ON M SM 4'00; I

ATTORNEYS members of the vehicle frame and the 1 ELECTRICAL VEHICLE BACKGROUND This invention is directed toan electrically powered twowheeled vehicle which is adapted for use as a recreational vehicle or for utilitarian purposes. 6

Electrical vehicles are well known and are used for transpoi-tation in large factories and on golf. courses. Usually, these prior art vehicles have three or four wheels in order to provide the stability at their relativelylow running speeds.

SUMMARY This invention,- in one aspect, involves anovel body construction for a two-wheeled electrically powered vehicle wherein the body frame includes a pair of interconnected lonporting position to its inoperative position.-

One object of the invention is-to provide a simple, 'attrac-' tive, strong and durableelectrical vehicle which is capable of being produced at a relatively low cost.

Another object is to provide a simple and convenient vehicle-supporting stand which is associated'with a footrest in a manner whereby the stand is loweredas the footrest is moved to its inoperative position.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of vehicle which embodies the features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the vehicle, showing the batteries, motor and drive train located within the vehicle frame;

FIG. 3 is atransverse sectional view takenalong the line 3-3 v in FIG. 2, showing the relationship between the structural housing of the frame;

FIG. 4 is a front view 'of the vehicle of this invention, showing the manner in which'the footrest is associated with the ground-contacting supportleg.

DESCRIPTION OF THE. ILLUSTRATED. EMBODIMENT As shown in FIG. I, the vehicle of this invention'comprises a frame 2 which is supported for movement across the ground on a pair of wheels 4 and 6 The front wheel 4is rotatably mounted on an axle 8 which extends between the legs of a fork 10.'Steering of the vehicle is accomplished in a usualfashion.

by turning the handlebar assembly 12 whichis attached to a portion of the fork which rotates within the bearing housing 14. A plate 16 on the frame 2 supports the bearinghousing 14. Propulsive power is providedby the rear wheel 6 in a-manner described in a later portion of this specification.

The vehicle frame 2 includes a series of interconnected tubular structural members, which support the internal are designated by similar primed numerals. These vertical assemblies are rigidly interconnected by the seat 22 and the transverse structural members 30, 32,34, 36, 38 and-40.

Referring to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the structural members of the frame 2 support a pair of batteries 42 and 44 which are electrically connected in a knownmanner to the electric drive motor 46. Preferably, these electrical connections include a speed control switch 48 on the handle bar assembly which is moveable from a central off position to either of two on" positions. In one on" position, the switch 48 actuates a solenoid which connects the batteries 42 and 44 to the motor 46 through a heavy duty electrical resistor to provide a lowspeed operation. In its other on" position the speed control switch 48 closes another solenoid switch which connects the batteries directly to the motor 46 for high-speed operations.

, The output shaft50 of the motor 46 may carry a sprocket which directly drives a sprocket on the rear drive wheel 6. With such an arrangement, the ratio of angular velocities between the motor shaft and the wheel6 may be in the order of about l l.

-In the illustrated construction, a jack shafl 52 is interposed in the drive train between the motor shaft 50 and the driven sprocket 54 on the wheel 6. A pair of sprockets 56 and 58 are keyed for rotation with the jack shaft 52. The larger sprocket 56 is connected by a drive chain 60 to the sprocket 62 on the motor shaft 50. The smaller sprocket 58 carries a chain 62 which drives-the rear-wheel 6 through the sprocket 64. With this arrangement, the angular velocity of the motor shaft 50 is approximately eight times that of the wheel 6.

Stabilityof the vehicle is provided by placing the batteries 42 and 44 at a relatively low position so that their lower surfaces are at the approximate elevation of the structural members 21 and 21', below a line extending betweenthe axes of rotation of the two wheels 4 and 6.

The internal elements of the vehicle are enclosed by a top panel 66 and side panels 68 and'68'. As shown in FIG. 3, these panels are formed of a single sheet of metal which has a transverse cross section in the shape of an inverted U. 7 Of course, the purposes of the panels 66. 68 and 68' are to improve the appearance of the vehicle and to protect the internal elements from the weather. In order to prevent water or mud-from being thrown into the internal elements when the vehicle is moving, there are a pair of flexible flaps 70 and 72 which are connected to the interior of the top panel 66. The flexibility of these flaps 70 and 72 is important since it permits the entire housing formedof the panels'to be slided in a longitudinal direction into the 'structuralframework of the vehi cle.

When the vehicle is underway, the occupant will usually place his feet on the footrests 74 and 74. These footrestsare commercially available items which are movable from the horizontal foot supporting position assumed by the footrest 74 in 'FIG. 4 to the raised inoperative position taken by the footrest 74'- in FIG.- 4 to the raised inoperative position taken by the footrest 74 in FIG. 4. The footrest is heldin .either of these P sitions by the resilience of the tread element which acts against either the horizontal or vertical surface of the footrest support bracket.

This invention involves a modification of thefootrest. construction which provides a stand for supportinganunoccup'ied or stationary vehicle. This modification involves the attachment of groundcontacting support legs'76 and76' "to" the footrests 74 and 74'. Asseen in FIG. 4, when the footrest74" is in its raised or inoperativeposition, the supportrleg 76 :ISEIII its lowered position where it will prevent the vehicle from fallingover.

In order to avoid the possibility of a runaway ve'hicleshould the speed control switch become stuck in eitherof its on positions, a safety switch 78 which has a plunger 80 ismounted on the frame by a bracket 82. See FIG. I. The safety switch is normally open and will close only upon depressionof the plunger 80.

The mounting of thefootrest 74 is such that when his subjected to any external weight, it will elevate slightlyto an inter 'mediate position due to the counterbalancing effectof theleg 76'. The safety switchis located in the path of the leg 76' at a position where it will close only when the footrest 74 is depressed from its intermediate position. Of course, such depression will occur when the occupant places his weight on the footrest 74'. In this manner, the electrical circuit between the battery and the motor can be completed only when the occupant is in a riding position with his foot on the footrest 74'. And, if the vehicle is underway and fails to respond to its usual controls, it may be stopped by the occupant who merely raises his foot from the footrest 74.

From the foregoing description, it will be appreciated that we have devised an improved electrical vehicle which presents several advantages as a result of the simple but efficient construction of the frame and due to the interrelated footrest and support leg. These features may assume various fonns and may be utilized in vehicles which differ considerably from the illustrated preferred embodiment. The breadth of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is defined by the claims which follow.

We claim:

1. A power vehicle comprising a frame, only a pair of wheels supporting the frame, one of said wheels being a steering wheel and another of said wheels being a drive wheel, and electric storage battery supported on the frame, an electric motor, means for electrically connecting the motor to the battery, a drive train interconnecting the motor and the drive wheel; said drive train including a jackshaft carrying a pair of jackshaft sprockets, a chain connecting one of the jackshaft sprockets to the sprocket on the motor, and another chain connecting the other jackshaft sprocket to the sprocket on the drive wheel; said frame having a pair of longitudinally extending vertical assemblies formed of structural members, said assemblies being horizontally spaced apart a distance greater than the corresponding horizontal dimension of the battery, means rigidly interconnecting said vertical assemblies, said battery being located between the vertical assemblies with its bottom surface lying at the approximate elevation of the lowermost portions of the assemblies.

2. A power vehicle comprising a frame, only a pair of wheels supporting the frame, one of said wheels being a steering wheel and another of said wheels being a drive wheel, an electric storage battery supported on the frame, an electric motor, means for electrically connecting the motor to the battery, :1 drive train interconnecting the motor and the drive wheel, said frame having a pair of longitudinally extending vertical assemblies formed of structural members, said assemblies being horizontally spaced apart a distance greater than the corresponding horizontal dimension of the battery, means rigidly interconnecting said vertical assemblies, said battery being located between the vertical assemblies with its bottom surface lying at the approximate elevation of the lowermost portions of the assemblies, a footrest attached to the frame and being movable from a generally horizontal foot-supporting position to an inoperative position, and a ground-contacting support leg attached to the footrest for movement therewith. said support leg being movable from a raised inoperative position when the footrest is in its foot-supporting position to a lowered ground-contacting position when the footrest is in its inoperative position.

3. A vehicle according to claim 2 wherein the footrest is pivoted on the frame about a horizontal axis which extends longitudinally of the vehicle.

4. A power vehicle comprising a frame and wheels supporting the frame in a manner permitting the inclination of the frame about its longitudinal axis, a footrest attached to the frame and being movable from a generally horizontal footsupporting position to an inoperative position, and a groundcontacting support leg attached to the footrest for movement therewith, said support leg being movable from a raised inoperative position when the footrest is in its foot-supporting position to a lowered ground-contacting position when the footrest is in its inoperative position.

5. A vehicle according to claim 4 wherein the footrest is pivoted on the frame about a horizontal axis which extends lorggitudinall of the vehicle.

. A vehtc e according to claim 4 wherein the footrest IS arranged to lie at an intermediate position which lies between the foot-supporting position and the raised inoperative position when no external weight is supported thereon, and an electrical switch associated with the footrest and arranged to open when the footrest is in its intermediate position and to close when the footrest is moved to its foot-supporting position when weight is applied to the footrest, a battery and an electric motor being electrically connectable to propel the vehicle, said switch being a portion of an electric circuit between the motor and the battery, thereby preventing energization of the motor when no weight is supported by the footrest.

7. A power vehicle comprising a frame, wheels including a drive wheel for supporting the frame, an electric motor, a drive train interconnecting the motor and the drive wheel, a battery, circuit connecting the battery to the motor, a footrest, an electrical switch forming a portion of said circuit, said switch being associated with the footrest and arranged to close only when an external weight is applied to the footrest, thereby preventing energization of the motor when no external weight is supported by the footrest. 

1. A power vehicle comprising a frame, only a pair of wheels supporting the frame, one of said wheels being a steering wheel and another of said wheels being a drive wheel, and electric storage battery supported on the frame, an electric motor, means for electrically connecting the motor to the battery, a drive train interconnecting the motor and the drive wheel; said drive train including a jackshaft carrying a pair of jackshaft sprockets, a chain connecting one of the jackshaft sprockets to the sprocket on the motor, and another chain connecting the other jackshaft sprocket to the sprocket on the drive wheel; said frame having a pair of longitudinally extending vertical assemblies formed of structural members, said assemblies being horizontally spaced apart a distance greater than the corresponding horizontal dimension of the battery, means rigidly interconnecting said vertical assemblies, said battery being located between the vertical assemblies with its bottom surface lying at the approximate elevation of the lowermost portions of the assemblies.
 2. A power vehicle comprising a frame, only a pair of wheels supporting the frame, one of said wheels being a steering wheel and another of said wheels being a drive wheel, an electric storage battery supported on the frame, an electric motor, means for electrically connecting the motor to the battery, a drive train interconnecting the motor and the drive wheel, said frame having a pair of longitudinally extending vertical assemblies formed of structural members, said assemblies being horizontally spaced apart a distance greater than the corresponding horizontal dimension of the battery, means rigidly interconnecting said vertical assemblies, said battery being located between the vertical assemblies with its bottom surface lying at the approximate elevation of the lowermost portions of the assemblies, a footrest attached to the frame and being movable from a generally horizontal foOt-supporting position to an inoperative position, and a ground-contacting support leg attached to the footrest for movement therewith, said support leg being movable from a raised inoperative position when the footrest is in its foot-supporting position to a lowered ground-contacting position when the footrest is in its inoperative position.
 3. A vehicle according to claim 2 wherein the footrest is pivoted on the frame about a horizontal axis which extends longitudinally of the vehicle.
 4. A power vehicle comprising a frame and wheels supporting the frame in a manner permitting the inclination of the frame about its longitudinal axis, a footrest attached to the frame and being movable from a generally horizontal foot-supporting position to an inoperative position, and a ground-contacting support leg attached to the footrest for movement therewith, said support leg being movable from a raised inoperative position when the footrest is in its foot-supporting position to a lowered ground-contacting position when the footrest is in its inoperative position.
 5. A vehicle according to claim 4 wherein the footrest is pivoted on the frame about a horizontal axis which extends longitudinally of the vehicle.
 6. A vehicle according to claim 4 wherein the footrest is arranged to lie at an intermediate position which lies between the foot-supporting position and the raised inoperative position when no external weight is supported thereon, and an electrical switch associated with the footrest and arranged to open when the footrest is in its intermediate position and to close when the footrest is moved to its foot-supporting position when weight is applied to the footrest, a battery and an electric motor being electrically connectable to propel the vehicle, said switch being a portion of an electric circuit between the motor and the battery, thereby preventing energization of the motor when no weight is supported by the footrest.
 7. A power vehicle comprising a frame, wheels including a drive wheel for supporting the frame, an electric motor, a drive train interconnecting the motor and the drive wheel, a battery, circuit connecting the battery to the motor, a footrest, an electrical switch forming a portion of said circuit, said switch being associated with the footrest and arranged to close only when an external weight is applied to the footrest, thereby preventing energization of the motor when no external weight is supported by the footrest. 